USC and China in the News, November and December 2014

December 23, 2014: Wall Street Journal

USC Dean of Architecture Qingyun Ma was interviewed for a story about declining Chinese interest in buying Bordeaux vineyards. In 2013, Chinese buyers accounted for 75% of such purchases, but just 43% in 2014. "The fact that the government crackdown on corruption has reduced the sales so severely demonstrates that the general population has not taken it in their life, let along lifestyle," said Ma. The article noted Ma owned a vineyard in China.

December 16, 2014: Voice of America

The USC U.S.-China Institute’s Clayton Dube was interviewed for a story about Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s use of Chinese in Beijing and whether or not Chinese would replace English as a global language. Dube praised Zuckerberg and said, “To speak Chinese means you begin to think as Chinese people do. You begin to understand how Chinese speakers have the world organized, how they perceive things. And that is a vital step if you’re going to be culturally competent.” Dube said he didn’t expect Chinese to replace English for several reasons, including the greater attractiveness of American pop culture, he said, “American movies, music, television, video games have wide audiences…So far China’s success in this realm has been very limited. Chinese films, Chinese television shows, Chinese music doesn’t have a huge following outside of China.”

December 7, 2014: NPR

Annette Kim of the USC Price School was quoted in a story about people in Beijing forced by high rents to find accommodations underground. She said, "Part of why there's so much underground space is because it's the official building code to continue to build bomb shelters and basements. That's a lot of new, underground space that's increasing in supply all the time. They're everywhere." She noted that people hope their children won’t live as they do. "They're hoping that their next generation, their children, will be able to live above ground," Kim said. "It's this sense of longing and deferring a dream. And so it makes me wonder how long this dream can be deferred."

December 2, 2014: Los Angeles Times

USC political scientist Stanley Rosen was quoted in a story about Wanda’s interest in purchasing the Lionsgate studio. “I think [Wang] would prefer to buy a really big studio, but those are not for sale,” said Rosen. “Lionsgate is kind of the last of the independent studios where there's a chance you can actually afford it."

December 1, 2014: Huffington Post

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist, was quoted about those in China anxious to see American films and television programs. "This is the future in China, this cosmopolitan group: the people that travel abroad and buy foreign goods. They're the rising middle class and the rising upper class. [They have] an appreciation of Western culture and they want to watch these shows uncut."

November 30, 2014: Los Angeles Times

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist and Chinese film specialist, was quoted in an article about how the Angelina Jolie-directed film Unbroken is to be marketed in China. [Unbroken tells the story of USC alum Louis Zamperini, a runner who competed in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He died earlier this year at 97.]  Rosen said, "The government looks very favourably on anti-Japanese dramas." A version of this article also appeared in the South China Morning Post.

November 14, 2014: Xinhua News Agency 新化社

USC Chinese politics specialist Stanley Rosen was cited in an article about the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Beijing. Rosen noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping was able to speak about a “Pacific Dream” at the gathering. Xi stressed China’s role in promoting peace and cooperation in the region. The People’s Daily carried a similar report on reactions to Xi Jinping’s speech.

November 14, 2014: Los Angeles Times

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute was quoted in a story about the significance of making it possible for Chinese and Americans to get 10 year visas to visit the U.S. and China. Dube noted that it was impossible to quantify the increased tourism and investment that might take place, but stressed that reducing the hassles, especially for Chinese business people, to come should increase visits and make them more comfortable about investing in the U.S.

November 13, 2014: KPCC

The USC U.S.-China Institute’s Clayton Dube was quoted in a report about potential local impact of making it possible for Chinese visitors to get 10 year visitor/business visas to come to the United States.

November 12, 2014: The Desert Sun

The USC U.S.-China Institute’s Clayton Dube was quoted in a story on the importance of the climate change announcement issued by the U.S. and China in Beijing. "In many respects this is the biggest, most enduring issue, between the two countries," Dube said. "The consequences for failing to act will be enormous, not just for the 25 percent of the world's population that lives in the U.S. and China, but for the entire globe and for generations to come. The stakes are high and doing what we need to do won't be simple or easy. Increasing energy efficiency, increasing utilization of renewable energy, and making our use of fossil fuels less damaging will take money, time, and focus."

November 12, 2014: People’s Daily 人民日报

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute and USC political scientist Stanley Rosen were among those cited in a story about U.S.-China film co-production and trends in the film industry. Dube noted that Americans tend not to be greatly interested in foreign films of any sort, including those from China. He suggested that films focused on the lives and worries of young people had the greatest chance of crossover success and argued that online distribution held great promise because potential customers didn’t need to be clustered in large numbers in order to make a theatrical screening feasible. Rosen noted that the Chinese film industry had great promise, pointing out how the market has expanded greatly in recent years.

November 6, 2014: Los Angeles Times

Stanley Rosen, USC political scientist and Chinese film specialist, was quoted in an article about the Chinese government’s willingness to let theatres there sell movie-themed merchandise. Rosen said, "This is a concession to Hollywood, which is always clamoring for a chance to get additional revenue." 

November 6, 2014: China Daily

A presentation by Xiao Lin, head of the Shanghai government’s Development Research Center, at the USC U.S.-China Institute was the focus of an article. Xiao spoke about the aims of the government in setting up a Pilot Free Trade Zone and what has happened in the year since the zone was launched. The principal aim is to create a platform that is as open as Hong Kong, Singapore, or the U.S. Xiao noted that rather than having a limited list of what firms could do, in the zone the government has a relatively short list of businesses/activities that aren’t allowed and that anything not on the list can be done. Xiao and his delegation will next present their findings at the Brookings Institute and to the U.S.-China Business Council in Washington, DC.

November 5, 2014: The China Press

Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute and USC political scientist Stanley Rosen were cited in an article about the American and Chinese film industries. Dube noted that because China’s movie market is large and growing fast, American studios and talent agencies have set up offices there. Fewer actors and directors have been going to China, but the number is increasing. Meanwhile, growing numbers of Chinese actors are seeking to establish themselves in the U.S. Asked about the impact of the new studio being created in Qingdao, Shandong province, Chinese film specialist Rosen said, we’d have to wait and see. He noted that Hollywood is mainly interested in investment from China and attracting filmgoers in China. For Chinese films to attract global attention, Rosen said, they need good subject matter.

November 4, 2014: Xinhua News Agency 新华社 via International Daily 国际日报

Clayton Dube 杜克雷 of the USC U.S.-China Institute and USC political scientist Stanley Rosen 駱思典 were among those interviewed for an article about the “marriage” between the American and Chinese film industries. Dube said that young people in both countries would be interested in seeing films about everyday questions, making friends, finding a job, and so on. Costume/period dramas hold little attraction for them. He suggested that Chinese producers take advantage of online distribution options in the U.S. There is an audience for Chinese films in the U.S., but moviegoing is declining in the U.S. and the China-curious crowd is not concentrated in sufficient numbers to make widespread theatrical releases effective. Rosen noted that unlike the American one, the Chinese audience is growing. 

November 4, 2014: China News Network via Beijing Morning Post

The newly established collaboration between USC and Shanghai Jiaotong University to teach about creative industries was highlighted. The two schools established a Cultural and Creative Industries Institute (文化创意产业学院). This was also reported by Guangming Network.

November 4, 2014: Sina.com

An article noted that Clayton Dube of the USC U.S.-China Institute and USC political scientist Stanley Rosen spoke at a forum to discuss U.S.-China film industry trends. The forum was part of the 10th Annual Chinese American Film Festival.

November 3, 2014: China News Network

The USC U.S.-China Institute’s Clayton Dube was quoted in an article about U.S.-China film collaboration, noting that the expansion of online distribution opportunities can allow filmmakers in the two countries to reach wider audiences.

November 3, 2014: PCGames.com 太平洋游戏网

An article detailed a visit by a USC Marshall Global Executive MBA class to the Perfect World gaming company. USC alum Xiao Wang is CEO of the company and spoke to the group.

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